Online Advertising Degrees(found programs from 6 schools)

Most advertising, public relations and marketing agencies require applicants to have at least a bachelor's degree. Most common is a Bachelor of Arts or Science in business administration with a major in marketing; however, many institutions are offering degrees that are highly focused on advertising. The good news is that you have quite a few options for acquiring your advertising degree online.

You can find institutions that offer a Bachelor of Arts in advertising that combine a background in liberal arts with classes focused on the creative side of advertising. As you earn your online advertising degree, you learn the basics of business and management, but your primary focus will be on the visual side of the field, including illustration, graphics and design.

Your other option is a Bachelor of Science in advertising. With this degree, you will focus more on business and strategy issues. You'll take classes in managing people, projects and finance. You'll get a solid statistics background and learn how to conduct and interpret market research. You will think about brand strategy, account planning and media planning.

There are also a growing number of postgraduate online programs in advertising. Many institutions also offer Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees in advertising and communication.

Here are several examples of the types of online programs in advertising you can find:

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh: The online division of this well-regarded institution is a good choice if you are looking to get into the creative side of advertising. To earn your Bachelor of Arts take some business classes such as financial management, organizational behavior and global business. You'll also get a quick survey of the strategic areas of advertising such as market research, account planning and brand strategy. The bulk of your work will be on the creative side, specifically on visual creative from basics such as color theory and typography to illustration, visualization and design.

Southern New Hampshire University: This institution offers two online programs in advertising. You can focus on the creative side of advertising with a Bachelor of Arts in advertising or you can focus on the business and strategy of advertising with a Bachelor of Science in advertising. The school has a reputation for staying on top of the many changes in the field. Your undergraduate credits transfer to the school's cutting-edge online master's programs. You can earn a Master of Business Administration in Internet marketing, traditional marketing, or social media.

Johns Hopkins University: This institution now offers its highly prized Master of Arts in communication degree online. This rigorous online program focuses on written communication, both through traditional media as well as digital properties. You will also get a thorough education in market research and how to track the effectiveness of campaigns. You take the exact same course load as students on the Washington, D.C., campus, from the same professors who have worked in high-level roles in business and government.

Introduction to Advertising Careers

Advertising is the art of enticing a customer to purchase or pay attention to a product or service. Good advertisers know their market, in terms of both economy and psychology. The art of crafting a good ad relies just as much on business savvy, as it does on creativity.

Expert Advice

BusinessDegreeOnline.com spoke with Donna Forbes, President of LKM Ideas, a marketing and advertising firm out of North Carolina. At LKM, she leads projects for Hunter Douglas and Quoizel Lighting and oversees operations. Below she talks about a career in advertising and what it takes to succeed in the field.

Advertising Job Description

Nowadays, advertisers must work harder than ever to capture consumer attention. Magazines and newspapers are not as widely read as before, Internet ads are generally ignored, and television ads are usually skipped over by viewers. Advertisers have to get creative in their approach. Not only do their ads have to be informative and well-made, but they have to stand out in rapidly changing arenas. Depending on your job title, a day in the ad world could mean developing an advertising strategy for a product, pitching ideas to clients or conducting market research to bolster your campaign.

Advertising Requirements

Many colleges offer four-year degrees in advertising, and while such degrees are beneficial in landing an advertising job, there are other specialties a student can pursue. For example, several other degrees-such as business, graphic design and even public relations-are pertinent to the advertising field. Advertisers must display an understanding of market statistics and consumer behavior along with a creative approach to crafting and distributing ads.

Advertising Career Outlook

Many jobs fall under the advertising umbrella-advertising manager, advertising designer, creative director, media director, account executive, and more. As a result, salaries for the various jobs vary. According to Payscale.com, account managers and advertising managers can expect to make an average salary between $40,000 and $60,000 annually.

Advertising Trends

Because of the importance of print and television media in the world of advertising, most of the employment opportunities in advertising-nearly 30 percent-are centered in New York and California. Furthermore, the majority of advertising jobs are contained within a small number of large advertising firms. Securing a job hinges on an applicant's ability to devise creative and effective campaigns.

Below is our list of online Advertising programs, from 6 schools across the country.

Missouri

Online Levels Offered:Bachelors DegreeOnline Programs Offered:Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration - Public Relations And AdvertisingBachelor of Science in Business Administration - Public Relations And Advertising